Jonathan’s new plans for 2015

From all indications, President Goodluck Jonathan will soon declare his intention to run for a second term in 2015. The big poser, however, is: will the president pick his deputy, Namadi Mohammed Sambo, to run with him again on the PDP ticket? Remi Adelowo reports that the matter is generating ripples in the North and across the nation.

On the surface, President Goodluck Jonathan appears not too keen about having another term in office come 2015. But among his key aides, nothing short of another four years, post-2015 for their principal would be good enough.

In the last few months, members of the president’s kitchen cabinet have been quietly working on several options aimed at securing a consensus for the president’s candidacy, findings by The Nation have revealed.

And determined not to take anything for granted, sources disclosed that trusted Presidency aides are working strenuously behind-the-scene to enlist the support of influential religious, traditional and political leaders for the Jonathan-for-2015 project. “No effort will be spared in this regard,” said a source privy to the unfolding plot.

The source added that the Presidency has identified major power blocs that could scuttle the second term project and has consequently mapped out strategies to win, divide or in the worse case scenario outwit these groups in the ensuing power play.

Plot to divide northern governors

The Nation reliably gathered that while security reports before the president indicate that almost all the northern governors serving their second term in office are interested in contesting for the presidency in 2015, a plot has been hatched to encourage more governors in the north to contest for the position, thereby dividing their rank and whittling down their collective bargaining power.

VP Sambo’s candidacy

Another option allegedly being considered by the president is picking an influential northern governor as his running mate in 2015, in place of the incumbent vice-president, Architect Namadi Sambo, who as a first term Governor of Kaduna State, was surprisingly chosen by the president in 2010 ahead of more experienced politicians in the north.

The case against him

For the hawks in the president’s kitchen cabinet, the vice-president has outlived the purpose for which he was picked two years ago.

According to sources, the president allegedly settled for Sambo, as he was seen as not too entrenched in northern politics, and so lacks the muscle and influence that could make him too ambitious to ‘rock the boat’. The choice of Sambo came as a surprise to the man himself, as he was reportedly campaigning for his then predecessor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, to be made the VP.

While it is incontestable that Sambo, so far, has enjoyed a cordial working relationship with his boss, there is the feeling among some aides of the president that the VP has allegedly not done enough to rally the ‘core north’ behind the president, a development which has created a serious opposition by key northern stakeholders against the present administration.

The VP’s case is not helped by the fact that some northern leaders sometime last week met at a secret location in Kaduna and resolved to impress it on the president that one of the conditions he must fulfill before they could back his (Jonathan ) second term ambition is to dump Sambo for a more ‘acceptable candidate’.

The Lamido card:

Not a few Nigerians were surprised when, about three weeks ago, the President paid a two-day official visit to Jigawa State.

The reason may not be unconnected with rumours of an alleged crisis of confidence between the president and the governor over the latter’s alleged presidential ambition for 2015. Weeks before the president’s visit to the North West state, a report was credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo allegedly promoting the pairing of Governors Sule Lamido and Rotimi Amaechi for the PDP presidential ticket in 2015.

That report, though denied by the former president, allegedly ruffled the Presidency top shots, who decided to keep the two governors under close watch.

Lamido too, according to another report, had allegedly started to distance himself from the seat of power, following strong suspicions that he is being closely monitored. One report had further claimed that the governor had a few months ago, allegedly declined to travel with the president on a state visit to Mozambique on the alleged excuse that he was to travel as part of the advance party, while another governor, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, travelled with the president in the same presidential aircraft.

But right now, the two men may have found a common ground to work together. “The governor (Lamido) seems disposed to being the next vice-president and could use his extensive political links in the president’s favour,” said a source in the PDP.

well, well, well it is quiet obvious that no one can be trusted in the politics of Nigeria, if can remmember some times ago the president promised not to go for another second term but today something seem to have struck him to think that a second term will be ideal. until we as a people learn to be true to our words, there’s no way we can build a nation with people of character. the little words we say and fail to hold on to them can define who we are. please let someone tell the president that we look up to him to set a standard for the young generation.

Simon Tor Gideon

With the mirage of problems facing our president,vis-a-vis,non availability of fuel(which I believe in thier crooked way of cheating on Nigerians will not allow it to contnue during that time till elections are over),insecurity,high rate of open corruption in govt circles,dilapidated nature of our high ways which are now death traps,irregural supply of electricity,high rate of unemployment etc,etc. this man should be spending more sleepless night trying to find solutions to these problems ,rather than spening sleepless nights on how he will be in power again come 2015 which is 2 years away.He should ask himself what he has done and what he has failed to do base on people`s perception and not political bootlickers who are only interested in protecting thier jobs if he losses out.The man should devout at least one hour of his time daily to read newspapers and comments being made about his administration,policicies and programmes on the internet instead of depending on people who go to rig elections in thier wards and come back to Abuja and tell him all is well.God help Nigeria.